


Playing for the kiss

by Kagetsukai



Category: Dragon Age, Dragon Age (Video Games), Dragon Age II
Genre: Adorable, Cute, F/M, First Kiss, Fluff, Mutual Pining
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-17
Updated: 2017-09-17
Packaged: 2018-12-30 17:43:31
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,387
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12113904
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kagetsukai/pseuds/Kagetsukai
Summary: Carver Hawke gets convinced to attend a soccer game with his brother's friends. The only reason he tolerates the event is because he gets to sit next to Merrill





	Playing for the kiss

**Author's Note:**

  * For [sirinial](https://archiveofourown.org/users/sirinial/gifts).



> Written for SecondSeal's Kissing Day Celebration!
> 
> Prompt: Surprise kiss at a sporting event

It was entirely too late in the season to be attending outdoor games, but for some odd reason the others had insisted they all went. That’s how Carver found himself sitting in the bleachers, dressed in a warm jacket, wrapped in a thick grey-and-blue scarf and sporting a floppy hat. The scarf had been a handmade gift from a certain dark-haired girl he fancied and he would sooner die than admit to how much he liked wearing it.

“Move to the left, Junior!” Varric grumbled from the bench behind. “Your head is so large it obscures the entire field!”

Carver grumbled, rolled his eyes and shifted a little closer to Merrill. Isabela, who sat on the other side of her, seemed to ignore the decrease in space.

“Sorry, the dwarf seems to have trouble with his eyes,” he mumbled to the girl. “Let me know if I’m squishing you, or whatever.”

Her incredibly green eyes zeroed-in on his face and a bright, gentle smile spread on her face.

“It’s fine. I like being squished, it’s warmer that way.”

A blush immediately prickled against his neck and cheeks, so Carver did his best to stick his face into the oversized scarf and hope the color didn’t seep any higher. He turned back to ‘watch the game’ and grunted something unintelligible in reply. It made him sound like an unbearable ass, but he felt it was better than trying to withstand the endlessly inquisitive gaze of the elvhen girl next to him. He was terrified she would see right through him and his ill-conceived feelings.

The Kirkwall Raiders continued playing against Wycome Sylvans as if they were playing against Frostback Nugs and Carver did his best to keep his curse words to himself; before they left home, Garrett told them to draw as little attention to their group as possible. Still, he grumbled under his breath as he watched both teams lumber around the field, clearly pretending to know how to kick a ball.

“Are we losing?” came a quiet question from his left.

Carver took a steadying breath and leaned in closer to Merrill; he reached out towards the field and started pointing out players.

“That guy over there runs around the field like someone put silverite in his shoes, that one can't keep a ball rolling even if his life depended on it and our goalie looks to be asleep,” he recited and huffed. “We haven’t lost yet, but yeah, we’re losing.”

Merrill frowned. “Oh. I’m sorry.”

“That’s fine, it’s not your fault,” he replied with a shrug. “This game isn’t exactly a part of the league rankings so it doesn’t matter anyway.”

Long silence greeted his comment and looked to the side, curious. He noted that Merrill kept frowning and staring down at the field with concentration he usually associated with her casting magic.

“What’s wrong?” he asked.

She sighed and her face finally smoothed out. “I don’t understand the game”

It was Carver’s turn to frown.

“What? But why did you come, then?”

Merrill smiled, but it didn’t reach her eyes and it made her whole expression look sad. “It sounded better than sitting at home, staring at the empty walls,” she quipped.

Damn, Carver felt like a humongous asshole, no matter how he looked at it. He stared at Merrill for several moments and made a quick decision.

“I can explain the rules, if you’d like?”

The smile that bloomed on her face was the biggest one he’d seen all afternoon.

“Yes! Learning new things is a lot of fun!” she exclaimed.

Carver chuffed at her excitement and once more leaned in so he could explain how the sport was played. He kept pointing to different player positions, gesticulating, and detailing various general rules, while Merrill silently followed every move and word, her green eyes staying on his at all times. Perhaps it was his thick clothing, or all the flailing he was engaging in, but the warmth that spread through his chest was delightful and comforting.

“Ugh, will they ever score?” Varric’s voice trailed somewhere behind them.

“Probably never,” Carver grumbled in reply.

No matter how he looked at it, the game had been completely uneventful and even if one of the teams attempted going for a goal, they would probably get intercepted by the other's defense. Thankfully, this wasn’t a qualifying game or they’d be sitting here until another Blight.

Out of the corner of his eyes he saw movement and turned to watch Merrill rub her bare hands together.

“Are you cold?” he asked inanely and tried not to roll his eyes at his own stupidity. _Of course she was cold! She was rubbing her hands together and--_

“A little,” she admitted and puffed some air into her clasped palms. “I didn’t think it would be this cold or I would have brought gloves.”

Carver frowned in concentration and ran a few solutions in his head. Without much debate, he unfurled the majority if his scarf and draped it around her tiny hands, and gave a few rubs just for a good measure.

“Does that help?” he asked.

For the first time since he could remember, Merrill actually broke eye contact and looked away. As Carver watched, fascinated, her cheeks turned a lovely pink color and her lips plumped with the way she worried them with teeth. She was such a perfect picture of feminine beauty, he forgot for a moment that he was supposed to be warming her up and just stared, flummoxed. 

“Merrill, I--” he started, not sure what his mouth would say next.

“Hmmm?”

That’s when the noise erupted around them and they turned their attention to the field. One of the Kirkwall players had managed to intercept the ball and was currently running towards the opposite goal posts. Carver rose to his feet along with everybody else, though he made sure he still held Merrill’s hands in one of his, pulling her up with him.

“C’mon, Johnson!” he screamed towards the field. “Get it done!”

Next to him Merrill bounced in place with enthusiasm and it warmed his heart that while she hadn’t completely grasped the finer points of the game, she was still excited when their home team was doing well. With that thought in mind, he watched as the offensive team finally woke up from their coma and executed a play that was near-perfect and resulted in the first - and only - goal of the game.

“YES!” Carver roared his approval and the crowd around him erupted with cheers.

Next to him, Merrill whooped louder than he had ever heard her be and he turned to watch. It didn’t take long for her to notice, though, and she impulsively jumped towards him, throwing her hands around his neck. He easily caught her in his arms and held her tightly.

“We won!” she squeaked in excitement and smiled a huge smile.

The energy of the crowd must have gone to his head, because he kissed her then; pulled her closer into his arms and pressed his lips to hers. She stilled against him, but only for a breath, and then she was kissing him back, her mouth incredibly soft and pliant underneath his. Carver had a vague sense that people were cheering again, but he could not bring himself to care, he was so lost in her taste and touch.

Once they parted, he quickly became aware that they were the only two people still standing in the bleachers and their friends were unabashedly staring, their grins both satisfied and knowing. He gently set Merrill down on the ground and cast a look around; his brother sat two seats behind and kept grinning like a maniac.

“The game isn’t over. You’re blocking the view,” Garrett said with a smirk.

Carver immediately plopped down to his seat, but before Merrill could do the same, he pulled her into his lap and pressed her close to his chest.

“I’m not interested in watching the game,” he murmured into her neck.

She shuddered visibly and shifted, pressing her forehead against his.

“Okay,” she whispered. 

They kept kissing long past the end of the game and endured a multitude of teasing on their way home; Merrill’s sweet expression after every kiss he bestowed upon her lips made it all worth it.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading!!! Kudos and comments are life!
> 
> This is the first time I wrote Carver (or Merrill) and it was a fun, interesting experience :D They were so stinking adorable!


End file.
